Celebrating Our Independence

It’s time for Friday Five linkup with DC area bloggers Courtney at Eat Pray Run DC, Cynthia at You Signed Up for What?!, and Mar at Mar on the Run! Be sure to stop by their blogs and say hello! While you’re there, be sure to check out other bloggers who are participating in the linkup, too. This week, in honor of Independence Day, the DC Trifecta chose Fourth of July as the theme.

“In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.”

~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

Independence Day is tomorrow, and will be enjoyed in many different ways all across our great nation. Here are four suggestions for how you can celebrate and one reminder of why we celebrate…

1. Watch, or even better, RUN in a parade…..

Yes, you read that correctly! Whether you live near a large city or small town, there’s very likely to be a parade on the morning of July 4th. My friend Miles and his running group used to go on a long run on the morning of Independence Day. They ran from Maryland down Rock Creek Park and timed it so they were running down the DC parade route just before the parade started. Spectators thought they were the start of the parade and always cheered wildly for them!

2. Run in a local race…..

For the past couple of years, Bill, our friends, and I have run in the Firecracker 5K. It’s a well organized race put on by =PR= Racing at Reston Town Center. After the race there’s a huge sign that runners can write notes on that’s later sent to our military serving overseas.

3. Eat and drink in a festive way…..

Summer barbecues are all about enjoying time with the family and friends. Whether you’re serving a traditional 4th of July hotdog and hamburger off the grill with a beer, or making fancy wine slushies, get creative with red, white, and blue. Make your barbecue festive and fun!

4. Watch or put off fireworks…..

Whether you’re heading to the National Mall, your local community center, or your back yard, fireworks and sparklers will very likely be a part of your evening. Just remember to be careful and have fun!

5. Remember why we celebrate…..

Like most other holidays, it’s easy to forget why we celebrate Independence Day, and even the name of the holiday is usually referred to as the Fourth of July. As we celebrate, it’s important to remember what our great country stands for, and why we celebrate. From the National Archives:

We celebrate the Declaration of Independence for two reasons. It represents an official severing of ties between the original 13 colonies and the rule of Great Britain. But it also represents the core of our beliefs, the very makeup of our identity as citizens of the U.S. Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, combined a rich a history of ideas and eloquently presented them to the then King of Great Britain along with a list of grievances.

At certain times, the concept of what it means to be a citizen of the United States of America may seem unclear. While many citizens are very passionate about our country, there are others who cannot accept patriotism as a wholesale, no-strings-attached concept. For those who already deeply love the United States, and for those who are struggling with the idea, the Declaration of Independence can be a guidepost. It is an unassailable document that embodies what it means to be an American, and everything we hold dear.

Although written in a different time with different social norms and commonly accepted philosophies, the U.S. has made consistent strides to truly embody the words, “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” This idea has emboldened us to forge our own paths as individuals and as a nation. At great risk have Americans stood up to many forms of tyranny and oppression, and however long it takes, liberty prevails. Although the times are always changing, there will never be a day when this document does not hold immense importance to the United States or its people.

Happy Independence Day!Happy Fourth of July!Happy Summer!

And on a side note, just a reminder that I currently have a giveaway in progress. On Tuesday, I reviewed the Moji Foot Massager. If you’re interested in checking it out and entering for a chance to win your own foot massager, click here.

I love your ideas! Thanks for adding the excerpt from the National Archives. It added a terrific perspective to the day. We are doing an “independent 4 on the Fourth”-running 4 miles on our own along the beach followed by breakfast at our traditional 4th of July restaurant. We are also encouraging everyone to try their own “4 on the Fourth”. It can be 4 of anything! 4 miles, 4 firecrackers, 4 laps in the pool-anything! Happy 4th!.

Hope y’all had a great Fourth of July! I never knew that about Miles’ Independence Day run – that’s funny!

We had planned to drive up to Radford to watch fireworks, but then some folks up the street from us started shooting off some big ones that went up into the air (aka illegal ones…). So we got to enjoy a whole fireworks show from our back deck 🙂

I’m Debbie (or Deb), a lover of family, life, and all things running; and I aspire to share my love of fitness through Deb Runs. As a personal trainer and running coach, I enjoy helping others adopt a healthy lifestyle to improve the quality of their lives.

Archives

Archives

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Simply put, this blog contains Amazon affiliate links, meaning that I will earn a commission anytime you purchase items by clicking on these links. You will never pay any more when buying a product from Amazon through my link, and you will be connected to Amazon as you usually are. The only difference is that Amazon pays me for referring you!